Naruto: Starting with Snatching the Mangekyō Sharingan

Mount Myōboku.

Jiraiya quickly regained consciousness.

"Cough..." Blood spattered from his lips as he weakly looked at Fukasaku and Shima, the two Toad Sages. "How's the battlefield?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

Fukasaku sighed heavily. "Not good. Based on the reports from the contact toads stationed near the front lines, Akimichi Torifu has fallen. After his death, Konoha's border forces crumbled completely, a devastating rout. In the aftermath, most of our forces were slaughtered by the Raikage and the Eight-Tails jinchūriki."

Jiraiya's face, which had only just regained some color, turned ashen at these words. The news hit him like a bolt from the blue.

He had anticipated a grim situation when the Raikage led such a large force against them, but the reality was still difficult to accept.

"Kumogakure…" Jiraiya clenched his teeth, his chest heaving violently before he coughed up another mouthful of blood.

Nearly three thousand Konoha shinobi had perished. That number accounted for almost a quarter of Konoha's active forces—a staggering blow to the village.

This was an unprecedented defeat for Konoha.

"Fukasaku-sama, Shima-sama, please notify Konoha of this disaster as soon as possible. They need to act quickly," Jiraiya said, his voice weak as he looked pleadingly at the two Sages.

"I've already sent a communication toad to deliver the message," Fukasaku replied gravely. "By now, the Hokage should have received the report."

Turning his gaze back to Jiraiya, he added, "You need to rest, Jiraiya-boy. Your condition is critical. If you push yourself, you'll only worsen it—or worse, die."

"I… cough…" Jiraiya tried to speak, but another spurt of blood escaped his lips before he fell unconscious again.

...

Konoha.

"Hokage-sama! An urgent message from Mount Myōboku!" An ANBU ninja wearing an ox-themed mask knelt on one knee, holding out a scroll.

"Mount Myōboku?" Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart sank, a sense of foreboding washing over him.

Urgent reports from Mount Myōboku were unheard of.

"Could something have happened to Jiraiya?" he muttered to himself, dread creeping into his thoughts.

Taking the scroll, he gestured to the ANBU operative. "Wait outside and stand by for further orders."

Once alone, Hiruzen unfurled the scroll.

What he read made his hands tremble, his face draining of color. Beads of cold sweat ran down his brow, and his breath came in shallow, ragged gasps.

The message was brief but catastrophic. Konoha's border forces had been ambushed by the Fourth Raikage and the jinchūriki of the Eight-Tails. One of the commanders, Akimichi Torifu, had fallen in battle. Jiraiya, critically injured, had been saved only by Mount Myōboku's Reverse Summoning Technique.

Nearly three thousand shinobi stationed at the border had been annihilated.

"Damn that Raikage!" Hiruzen roared, a surge of killing intent exploding from him. His chakra cracked the wooden floor beneath his feet, leaving deep fissures.

Three thousand lives—gone. It was a loss unlike any Konoha had suffered before, one that cut to the very bone of the village.

Exhaling deeply to steady himself, Hiruzen issued a command. "Summon the advisors, the division commanders, the clan leaders, and all elite jōnin. Tell them to report to the third-floor conference room immediately."

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" came the ANBU's reply from outside.

Half an hour later, the third-floor conference room was packed with Konoha's elite. The atmosphere was stiflingly tense; everyone present knew something monumental had happened.

Uchiha Akira sat just below Fugaku, exchanging glances with him. In their eyes, a flicker of excitement could be seen.

The storm they had been waiting for had arrived.

The Uchiha clan's chance to shine on the battlefield was finally here.

As expected, once everyone had taken their seats, Hiruzen spoke with a somber expression.

"We've received a report from the front lines. The Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure, along with the Eight-Tails jinchūriki, launched a surprise attack on our border forces. One of our commanders, Akimichi Torifu, was killed in action. Jiraiya is severely injured and unconscious, saved only by the intervention of Mount Myōboku."

His voice grew heavier as he continued. "Nearly three thousand of our shinobi stationed at the border… have been wiped out."

The room erupted.

"What?!"

"Three thousand shinobi, almost completely annihilated!?"

"Damn those Kumogakure bastards! I'll tear them apart with my own hands!"

"Hokage-sama, we must act immediately. If we don't crush Kumogakure for this, we're no longer Konoha shinobi!"

"Yes! We must retaliate! Kumogakure has crossed the line—this calls for a war of annihilation!"

Chakra surged wildly as emotions flared, the oppressive tension in the room reaching a boiling point. For a village that prided itself on its strength, such a devastating blow was unprecedented.

The Uchiha present exchanged subtle glances, their faces betraying a mix of surprise and calculation.

"Is the Raikage really this strong?" Akira thought, his mind racing. "Jiraiya, even with the support of the Toad Sages, ended up in critical condition. This doesn't match the Raikage's usual reputation."

Still, the outcome was undeniable: Kumogakure had dealt Konoha a crippling blow.

"Silence!" Hiruzen's voice cut through the uproar, and the room gradually fell quiet. He took a deep breath before speaking. "We will retaliate. We will avenge our fallen comrades—make no mistake about that."

His tone hardened. "But we must also guard against opportunistic moves from other villages. We cannot leave Konoha defenseless in our rage."

Before anyone could respond, a firm knock resounded at the conference room door.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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